Friday, March 31, 2006

Almost but not quite!

Well, dear reader(s), I have 3 of the 4 wide borders done on the round robin so no picture yet. First thing tomorrow will finish the last wide border, then add a thin frame border. Then I will take a picture to post tomorrow night. Promise!

Been playing musical money with my accounts. The Fed refund is supposed to deposit tomorrow so I am praying.

Lois, hope you had a wonderful day playing tourist in Vancouver. I would have loved to be with you. It has been so long since I was there I bet I would hardly recognize the place anymore.

That's all for tonight. I am off to my cozy bed as the rain beats down yet again. Nighty night!

Thursday, March 30, 2006

Time is flying!

Miss me? Sorry I haven't posted for a while. Finished the crochet project and the pattern is now in review by the publisher. Started working on another pattern project, knitted this time. A shrug in Schaefer's Elaine in the color called "Snoopy's Crayons". I love this stuff! Here's a little peek at one sleeve in progress.



I hear a lot of knitters fussing about "pooling", where the color in a hand painted yarn will begin to make pools of color instead of stripes. Well, I like it! It's fascinating to see how the color changes with only a few stitches decreased.. This is also going to be submitted for publication, in a knitting magazine this time. Wonder what they will say about the pooling? Maybe make me knit another one with yarn that won't pool? Fine with me. I want to keep this one anyway. Can anyone recommend a thick & thin bulky multicolor yarn that can't pool?

Took a short break from knitting to get this next round robin done. Have to mail it on Friday. Finally decided I was going to do a wide border of several pastels. It's going to be a checkerboard type border. But the corners will add a little gift of love. :o)



That was my first try at paper piecing! It was a 6" block but I shrank it down to a 3" block. I love to do itty bitty things. Just my personal craziness. Well, one of them anyway. I've made so many miniature quilts compared to how many full sized I've made. They're just so fast and fun! I have a gazillion quilts in my head I'd like to make but will never live long enough. Making them in miniature gets some of that out of my system. Anyway, these little gift wrapped hearts will go in the corners of the Sunbonnet Sue round robin. I'll post a picture of it before I mail it.

And my slipper pattern has been accepted and they want a sample quick! And the shrug pattern is on a deadline too. And a cabled bag pattern. Whew! I feel sorry for anyone who is bored being retired. Poor yes, but never bored.

Have you done your taxes yet? I did mine last week. Had no income to report except my little "profit sharing", which had 20% Fed tax taken out. So, a nice little return from the Feds, and pay a part of it to the State. But it sure will help since the nest egg is almost gone.

Let me see, what else has been keeping me busy? Finally signed up for unemployment. To h-e-double-hockey-sticks to the boss who swore he would fight unemployment, as he fired me, while I was in the hospital. I have to have a phone interview next month and tell the sad details all over again. Don't look forward to that at all. Probably have to explain again why I didn't get a lawyer when my workman's comp was denied. Lawyers are expensive! And how do you fight someone who has lots of money and lots of lawyers and no morals about lying and getting others to lie for him too? Oh, don't get me started!

Ok, I am calm now. 8*} About time to wind down and get to bed. Gonna finish that border on the round robin tomorrow and then back to knitting. Gotta get a sample slipper done, quick! Nighty night everyone! Love and hugs!

Wednesday, March 15, 2006

Sidetracked again!

Just when I thought I was free to knit again something else comes up. An invitation to submit a crochet design for a book. Can't pass that up. I need income! Can't show the design but you can peek at the sample.



That's all you get to see. Don't mean to tease. :o)

Haven't done this for so long that my crochet callus on my ring finger has to build up again. Can you say sore?

That's about it right now. Still watching my Olympic tapes and enjoying all of it so much. Storm after storm after storm has been coming through. We even had a rare tornado warning this afternoon in our county. Rain, hail, even snow down at sea level but none in my yard. Very rare for the California Bay Area. I love it!

Gotta do a couple more rows before bed. Seeya!

Wednesday, March 08, 2006

Always seem to be...

...trying to catch up! So let's see. Pieced 2 sets (24 blocks) of Origami Bow Ties in Civil War reproduction fabrics, sewn on my 1876 Singer New Family model 12. The old gal did quite a good job and I am proud of her. Not bad for 130 years old! Got the blocks all signed and mailed off my "squishy" today. In a couple of weeks I'll get back another squishy with 24 blocks from other exchange participants.




Got the next Round Robin to work on in the mail Saturday. It's so cute! I think the computer need a teensy little Mac Apple on it. And Miss Sunbonnet Sue needs some lace and ruffles. Not sure what I'm going to do for a border. The last person to work on it seems to think it needs "calming down". Hmmm...



Finally got around to mailing my granddaughter's ruffly wrist warmers to her. I'm starting to get used to going to the post office. It's close enough to be a quick trip that doesn't leave me super anxious to "just get home". Even Alex is a little impressed that I am going out to run little errands more often. Maybe there's hope for the old hermit after all! :o)

I am itching to get back to knitting! Got to do a couple of quick design submissions for a new crochet book first though. And I can't leave the Round Robin until the last minute this time. HAVE to mail it by the 31st! And the taxes are waiting to be done. It will be interesting this time, after my first year of retirement.

Well, time for bed. Nighty night!

Thursday, March 02, 2006

Feelin' old

It's surprising how much 3 days of intensive piecing, after years of not making all those movements, can affect older muscles and bones. You hold your entire body differently when using a sewing machine. And rotary cutting layers of fabric on the dining room table? OY! My back, my hands... ow!

I woke up today wondering if I was coming down with the flu. Aching all over and moving like molasses in Winter. Getting physically older is a drag! No other symptoms though, just achy and tired, tired, tired!

So I had my cup of hot Ovaltine and took some Advil and went off to the post office to mail the Round Robin. Got a bright yellow box for it, the same yellow of the blooming Oxalis that is swallowing up my front yard. Also mailed another DVD to my cyber twin. (Hi Laura!) Came home and made breakfast and commenced to wade through the 300+ emails waiting for me since I hardly read any yesterday. Just finished the last one half an hour ago! Whew!

So I made it through the day with just a very short nap. Did 7 loads of laundry, read all my email and thought about all that I plan to do tomorrow. My desk is an incredible mess, as usual. Need to tidy up my fabrics, pay the bills (ugh), vacuum up the thread bunnies and maybe work in a lovely hot shower. My Mom had one of those new baths installed, the kind you walk into, shut the door and sit down. No more trying to struggle up out of a slippery tub. I'm going to try it out when she cruises off to Turkey this month.

Well, I should get to bed. It is storming again tonight so I should sleep good. See y'all later!

Wednesday, March 01, 2006

Round Robin #1

Tonight finished three intense days of measuring and cutting and piecing and sewing and pressing and snipping and remembering what it was like to do this all the time. Now it's time to pack it up and mail it on to the next Robin. The next one is already in the mail to me and I am definitely not going to procrastinate on this one! Here's a picture of what I added to the center square.



I chose colors out of Kelly's background fabric to use in the flying geese. She wants her block to end up on point so, at first I was trying to figure out what to do for corners to do what she wants. But I wasn't inspired so I'll let the next person figure out the corners. :o) The geese are all flying toward the point so I at least acknowledged Kelly's wish.

Next I need to sew a bunch of blocks using my 1890's hand cranked Singer sewing machine and Civil War reproduction fabrics. Have to get those in the mail by Saturday. Then a little break to finish the slipper patterns and then start contemplating the next Round Robin center.

I recorded ALL the Olympics because I didn't want to miss anything and I knew I wouldn't be able to catch it all "live". Tonight I watched the women's snowboarding. One of them is named Gretchen! How cool is that! Someone in the crowd was holding up a huge sign that said Gretchen USA. Love it!

Well, been a long day and I am ready to rest. Lots to do tomorrow! G'night all!